


we can only meet in the night

by dainuhsoar



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Childhood Friends, M/M, Magic, Magic Revealed, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 19:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14504037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dainuhsoar/pseuds/dainuhsoar
Summary: Royalty!AU where Hetian just loves Guanshan a lot and Guanshan is the wizard appointed as his right-hand man.





	we can only meet in the night

**Author's Note:**

> i watched a total of (1) episode of bbc merlin but read a total of ___ merthur fics.  
> title is from ione's 'letter'.

Hetian hadn’t really understood the use of a _magical companion_ because all his father’s did was help him dress and bring him his morning cup of tea. The little magic he did was mostly conjured to entertain Hetian with little coin tricks. He hadn’t meant it, really, but when he said, “I want a fairy godmother too.” He couldn’t take his words back. Once the idea was out there, he decided to just go with it.

“Can’t I have a fairy godmother too?” Hetian asked his father.

The emperor’s manservant choked on his own swallowed laughter and Hetian’s father smiled in amusement; at his servant’s supressed laugh or Hetian’s words, Hetian was unsure of.

“First of all,” the emperor paused, taking a sip of his tea. “He’s not a fairy godmother. He’s my consultant.”

“I thought he was your servant.” Hetian wrinkled his nose.

“That too,” his father said, nodding. “But I consult him on very important things regarding the country.”

“Whatever,” Hetian was uninterested in the servant’s _real_ use. He wanted his personal coin-trick entertainer, that was all. “Could I have one or not?”

The emperor pretended to think. Hetian’s brother, the Crown Prince, thought his father was seriously mulling it over and stepped in to object to the idea.

“Do not spoil the child further, Father.” Hecheng said. “He can hardly take care of that damn puppy.”

Hecheng was referring to the pup that staggered into their compound and Hetian promptly fell in love with and took in. The puppy, named ‘Hong’ by Hetian, constantly tore Hecheng’s sheets and defecated in his slippers. What Hecheng didn’t know was Hetian purposely trained his little puppy to do all that.

“I don’t have to train or take care of a wizard, do I?” Hetian countered. “They’re the one who has to take care of me.”

Hecheng rolled his eyes. “The point is, you are not deserving of one.”

“Oh, I think he is,” the emperor cuts in. Hetian grinned victoriously while Hecheng groaned. “He was the top scorer in the exam, after all. You must have studied very hard.”

Hetian shrugged. Studying was neither difficult nor a chore for Hetian. He enjoyed feeling superior than others and if it meant cramming knoweldge into his brain all day and all night, he’d do it. Besides, he was a natural at it - he grasped concepts easily and it only took him two recitations to memorise what he read.

“So I’m getting one?” Hetian asked excitedly.

His father glanced at his consultant, who cleared his throat and finally spoke, “Well, my son would make an excellent playmate for the young prince.”

“I don’t need a playmate.” Hetian complained. “He’ll only be useful to me if he can use magic, like you do.”

“Of course he can.” The servant said, smiling slightly. “He’s my son, after all.”

“Then he’s perfect.” The emperor concluded. “Bring him here, and let’s see how they get along.”

The magician bowed and kept his head down as he left the royal chambers. His bowed head couldn’t hide his smile. The emperor had a similar smile on his face, as if the two of them were hiding a secret between themselves. Hecheng didn’t like the feeling he got from it. Hetian was oblivious to it, he was just buzzing with excitement. He couldn’t sit still and had to get up from his seat next to his brother to stand at the emperor’s doors to wait for the magician to come back.

And when he did, there was a small figure trailing close behind him, almost stepping on the hem of his robes. Both of them had their heads bowed as they entered. Hetian could see that the small figure of a boy had red hair, faded like how a red garment would fade if out in the sun for far too long. The father and son only raised their heads when the emperor gave them permission to. Even so, they kept their eyes down.

“My son, Mo Guanshan.” The magician said, gesturing to the boy behind him. He took a step aside to let the boy step in front of him. Guanshan took a hesitant step forward, unintentionally lifting his eyes. He locked eyes with Hetian just for a moment and then he looked away, expression blank.

“Your majesty,” the boy greeted. “Crown Prince and Second Prince.”

“Guanshan,” Hetian interjected even before his father could say anything. The boy in question glanced at the young prince, quickly blinked and redirected his eyes to the floor once more. Hetian could see him biting his lower lip in frustration. “Guanshan, you are appointed as my personal fairy godmother.”

“Fairy…?” Guanshan dared a confused glance at his father.

“Yes, my fairy godmother.” Hetian repeated, stepping closer to the red-headed boy. “Did you use magic to get your hair that colour?” Instinctively, he reached out to rub a few strands of Guanshan’s hair between his fingers.

The boy jerked back. “Father…” He looked to his father for help. The magician just smiled back at him teasingly. “I’m not a fairy _or_ a godmother.”

“Well, a godmother you’re not.” Hetian agreed, pulling Guanshan’s attention back on to him. “But you sure do look like a fairy.” The smile he gave the flustered boy was so genuine and sincere, the emperor had no choice but to agree to appoint Guanshan as Hetian’s right-hand man, from now till forever.

**Author's Note:**

> well let's see how this series goes. more characters will be introduced and added to the tags as soon as they are.


End file.
